Top-Rated Car Snacks For a Long Getaway Drive

It’s that time again: a family road trip. Maybe you’ve booked a holiday to France or perhaps you’re trying out the North Coast 500? Whatever the journey ahead of you, you definitely can’t do it on an empty stomach.

Since snacks are a serious business, you simply can’t afford to get them wrong. That’s why we’ve put our heads together and come up with a list of the top-rated snacks for long car journeys.

Read on to find exactly what’s on the menu.

Easy-to-eat nibbles

If you’re the driver, this one will be crucial to you. Packing snacks that don't require effort eating is always a must for car trips. By this, we mean small, bitesize snacks that you can graze on as you go along. Here are some of our favourites:

• Peanuts
• Cracker selections like bombay mix
• Crisps
• Candies
• Small and pre-cut fruit such as raspberries or apple slices.

Where possible, try to avoid any messy, crumbly foods that will leave your car in a state. Also, while there are no specific laws targeting eating and driving, eating and drinking at the wheel are considered to be distractions under the highway code.

So, they should be avoided if possible or conducted with caution. In the end, if you’re really hungry, it's best to pull into a service station to avoid dangerous, one-handed driving.

Nothing too sickly!

Did you know that 1 in 3 people are estimated to suffer from motion sickness? Taking that statistic into consideration, if you’re travelling with a car full of people, the chances are that at least one person might be feeling rough.

To account for this, it is always wise to avoid any road trip foods that may spoil in the heat or make people feel queasy. Here are a few foods to steer clear of:

• Yoghurts and milk drinks
• Strong smelling foods that might make the car smell bad
• Excessively oily or greasy foods
• Cheeses and other dairy products

If you do end up bringing dairy products or food that could spoil, make an effort to keep it out of the sun. There is nothing worse than off milk on a hot day. Take a cool bag if you can. Or, depending on the length of your road trip, you might want to consider a cool box. Some more sophisticated models can plug into your car while you travel for a consistent cool flow of air to the food inside.

Homemade goods

If you’re on a budget, any homemade products are always an excellent idea. This can take the form of cookies, cakes, savoury pastries. Just be sure to store any produce correctly in Tupperware or foil to keep it fresh (and bring some napkins for the flaky pastry!).

You also can’t go wrong with a classic sandwich. Although, if it is a hot day, we’d steer clear of meat and fish products — unless you eat them early on in the trip.

Plenty of fluids

If travelling anywhere warm — like the south of France or across the country in the summer months — it is essential to pack fluids.

According to NHS Eat Well advice, adults should be drinking between 6-8 cups of liquid per day. This can take the form of juice, squash, and even milk (although we wouldn’t advise the latter for a car journey). If you are in the car for upwards of an hour, you’ll naturally get thirsty. However, to avoid stating the obvious, the more fluids, the more frequently you may need to stop for a bathroom break!

If it’s a long drive you’re undertaking, perhaps a few energy drinks might be helpful. However, don’t rely solely on caffeine to get you to your destination — take breaks as tiredness can kill! Also, be sure to pack any drinks in bottles or flasks that won’t leak over things and, if possible, can keep your drinks cool.

Get road trip ready with Kwik Fit

That’s the passengers taken care of, but what about the vehicle? Before you embark on any kind of road trip, it is important to conduct a few essential checks of your car.

These can include:

• Coolant levels
• Engine oil levels
• Tyre pressure and tread depth
• Lights
• And more

You can find a full itinerary of what to check before you go on a road trip here.

If you aren’t confident performing these checks yourself, you can book in for a vehicle safety check at your local Kwik Fit Centre. If you have any questions about the performance of your vehicle and its parts, contact us today and we’ll be happy to help.